The Wold Atlas.
"The World Of Wold Newton
"Sherlock Holmes. Doc Savage. The Shadow. The Spider. Bulldog Drummond. The Scarlet Pimpernel. C. Auguste Dupin. Leopold Bloom. Tarzan. Professor Challenger. Lord Peter Wimsey. Denis Nayland Smith and his enemy, Fu Manchu. Nero Wolfe. Solomon Kane. James Bond. Sam Spade. G-8. Professor Moriarty. Captain Nemo. Richard Benson. Travis McGee. Lew Archer.
"In any company of men, these would be called great. No doubt some of them are familiar to you. No doubt you have read stories which feature one or more of these gentlemen.
"Award-winning science fiction author Philip José Farmer, through means about which he is secretive, developed the theory that these outstanding gentlemen came from the same family, a broadly-based collection of individuals of outstanding accomplishments, descended from a group of people exposed to the radiation of a meteor that crashed in Wold Newton, a small town in Great Britain.
"Over the years, the progeny of those exposed became known as men and women of outstanding physical and mental abilities. Their exploits were related by various authors, and were accepted by the public as fiction (in many cases, intentionally). It was not until recently that their possible reality came to interest researchers.
"In 1976, a group of Farmer's readers formed The Wold Newton Meteoritics Society, dedicated to the analyzation and dissemination of information regarding the Wold Newton Family tree. The Society agreed that its primary goal would be best served by publishing The Wold Atlas, to act as a forum for Wold Newton thought. After months of planning, research, and writing, it is now finished.
"We are very proud of Wold Atlas #1. In it, you will find an article on Maple White Land, the relationship between Professor Moriarty and Captain Nemo, a trivia quiz, book reviews, illustrations, and an original story, "The Terrible Beekeeper," uniting for the first time anywhere three Wold Newton Family members (none of whom, despite the title, is Sherlock Holmes).
"So curl up in your chair, with a copy of Philip Jose Farmer's Tarzan Alive (Pyramid) and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (Bantam) in an easy-to-reach spot, and welcome to the wonderful world of Wold Newton."
With these words, editor Timothy J. Rutt introduced a generation of readers to the workings of the original Wold Newton Meteoritics Society. Consisting of Todd R. Rutt-Chairman pro tem, Arn McConnell-Vice Chairman, Kirk McConnell -Keeper of the Tomes, Clay Powers-Treasurer, Timothy J. Rutt-Editor, The Wold Atlas, and Philip Jose Farmer -Honorary Chairman (In Absentia), The Wold Newton Meteoritics Society Privy Council managed to produce five issues of The Wold Atlas. Because of their importance as historical documents in the development of Wold Newtonian thought, the Privy Council has graciously given me permission to reproduce their documents below. I hope you enjoy them.
A few notes: If you are interested in seeing what The Wold Atlas looked like, please check out Mike Croteau's and Rick Beaulieu's wonderful Official Philip José Farmer website. The covers are on display here.
Also, I've retyped these articles and stories from photocopies of the original documents. As a result, there are a few small gaps in the text, no more than a few words, here and there. I apologize in advance for any difficulties this causes any readers. If anyone has a clearer copy and would like to give me the missing lines, I'll be more than happy to fill in the gaps.
Finally, I have not yet been able to speak to Scott Koeller, the author of "Champion of Catastrophe and Son of the East." If anyone can put me in touch with Mr. Koeller, I would like his permission to continue to display this article. If he has any objection, I will, of course, remove it.
Wold Atlas Vol. 1 No. 1 (Jan. 1977)
"The Dynamics of the Brothers Moriarty" by Timothy J. Rutt.
"The Land That Maple White Found" by Arn McConnell.
"The Terrible Beekeeper Part One" by Arn McConnell & Todd Rutt.
Wold Atlas Vol. 1 No. 2 (Spring, 1977)
"The Mysterious Case of the Carters" by Todd Rutt & Arn McConnell.
"Caves, Gas, & the Great Transfer Theory" by Todd Rutt & Arn McConnell.
"The Terrible Beekeeper Part Two" by Arn McConnell & Todd Rutt.
Wold Atlas Vol. 1 No. 3 (Fall, 1977)
"The First Doc Savage: The Apocryphal Life of Clark Savage, Sr" by Timothy J. Rutt.
"The Stalker in the Dark: Jack the Ripper & Wold Newton" by Timothy J. Rutt.
"The Case of Commissioner James Gordon" by Arn McConnell.
"The Terrible Beekeeper Part Three" by Todd Rutt & Arn McConnell. (coming soon!)
Wold Atlas Vol. 1 No. 4 (Winter, 1978)
"Kong: His Life and Fall" by Arn McConnell.
"Champion of Catastrophe and Son of the East" by Scott Koeller.
"The Terrible Beekeeper Part Four" by Arn McConnell & Todd Rutt. (coming soon!)
Wold Atlas Vol. 2 No. 1 (Fall, 1978)
"Casting a Little Light Among the Shadows" by Arn McConnell.
"The Terrible Beekeeper Part Five" Arn McConnell & Todd Rutt. (coming soon!)
"Behind the Beekeeper: A Rationalization" Todd Rutt & Arn McConnell. (coming soon!)
Wold Atlas Vol. 2, No. 2
On the last page of Wold Atlas Vol. 2, No. 1, there was an advertisement for the next issue. It read as follows:
"Next Issue: An interview with Philip Jose Farmer! The Privy Council's chairman-in-absentia consents to an interview with The Wold Atlas' Todd Rutt, and reveals his further extrapolations and postulations on the Wold Newton family; his plans in other directions; and his great works, both past and future. An event not to be missed! Plus views of Farmer's Peoria and a more in-depth look at the man behind Wold Newton.
"Sorcery and Wold Newton! Fraser Sherman gives a cosmic overview of the supernatural side of Wold Newton."
Apparently, this issue never appeared. However, if I can discover the materials that would have appeared in it, rest assured that I will bring them to you!